Bravi! Bravissimi!
Today was the official scheduled Joint Cultural Event, a performance of Tosca, and it was wholly a success as far as I'm concerned. There weren't any obvious plot holes, the Tenor Hero was a well-rounded character with talents in multiple arenas, the Soprano Heroine was a self-realized mature woman with a career of her own and the capacity for independent action, and best of all: a properly villainous villain. The cast sang well together and acted well together1. There were a few moments where the orchestra did somewhat overwhelm the singers, but that's not entirely unexpected with Puccini's music. This was the January cast of the Lyric's Tosca, so no Deborah Voight, alas, but otherwise I can't find fault with any of the cast, singly or as a group.
Scarpia was definitely the high point of the opera for me. He is a villain's villain, on a par with his hero Iago; I don't think any of the operas we've seen recently2 had such a properly villainous villain. Pinkerton was a self-centered **** with maybe three brain cells to rub together. Baron Ochs was a buffoon. Azucena was out for revenge, and had at best two brain cells to rub together3. Turandot was trying to save herself from a fate she regarded as worse than death...and the contest was purely voluntary on the part of the princes; they were free to depart the kingdom upon hearing the terms of the challenge. The Devil, in the various adaptations of the Faust legend comes close, but he's the Devil. That's what Satan is fated to be and do. Scarpia's a right expletive, right down to his manipulative boots, and that's exactly what he intends to be. He knows precisely what he's doing, and what his reputation is, and I got the impression that he enjoys every lash, bribe, brand and ravishing.
Our new restaurant for this trip was the Weber Grill. We weren't disappointed, exactly, but that's mainly because we went in with low expectations; my reaction was "It's for people who've graduated from Chili's" and stephe's was "I could cook this at home...and more tastily at that." We both had the barbecued ribs; the meat was good, but the sauce was so heavy on the liquid smoke I'm burping it hours later. The food is heavy on the burgers and barbecue end of things, and after Kansas City, that holds no thrill for us. The restaurant has a decent selection of liquor, but as neither of us is partaking of that...who cares?
1both in the sense of cooperation and in that of all the singers were of equal quality
2live, simulcast or prerecorded
3wrong baby in the fire? oh please!
Scarpia was definitely the high point of the opera for me. He is a villain's villain, on a par with his hero Iago; I don't think any of the operas we've seen recently2 had such a properly villainous villain. Pinkerton was a self-centered **** with maybe three brain cells to rub together. Baron Ochs was a buffoon. Azucena was out for revenge, and had at best two brain cells to rub together3. Turandot was trying to save herself from a fate she regarded as worse than death...and the contest was purely voluntary on the part of the princes; they were free to depart the kingdom upon hearing the terms of the challenge. The Devil, in the various adaptations of the Faust legend comes close, but he's the Devil. That's what Satan is fated to be and do. Scarpia's a right expletive, right down to his manipulative boots, and that's exactly what he intends to be. He knows precisely what he's doing, and what his reputation is, and I got the impression that he enjoys every lash, bribe, brand and ravishing.
Our new restaurant for this trip was the Weber Grill. We weren't disappointed, exactly, but that's mainly because we went in with low expectations; my reaction was "It's for people who've graduated from Chili's" and stephe's was "I could cook this at home...and more tastily at that." We both had the barbecued ribs; the meat was good, but the sauce was so heavy on the liquid smoke I'm burping it hours later. The food is heavy on the burgers and barbecue end of things, and after Kansas City, that holds no thrill for us. The restaurant has a decent selection of liquor, but as neither of us is partaking of that...who cares?
1both in the sense of cooperation and in that of all the singers were of equal quality
2live, simulcast or prerecorded
3wrong baby in the fire? oh please!